Typewriting machine



June 3, 1930. L. A. NEMCOVSKY 1,761,405

. TYPEWRITING MACHINE Original Filed July 15 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet l Patented June 3, 1930 UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE Louis A; NEMCOVSKY, or new are, N. Y.. Ass're'non To sun 'rvmiwm'rnn GOM- PANY, or Yonc a. Y., A ooaroamxon on NEW JERSEY TYPEWR-ITING lineman Original application filed July 15, 1924, Serial No. 726,063. Divided and this application Serial No. 196 187;

My present invention relates to typewriting machines and in its more SPBClllC application to machines of the type designated as portable. Portable typewriting machines equipped with keyboards departing from standard, are difficult to operate by typists ordin rily trained to operate on standard keyboards, while portable typewriters designed to be collapsed for enclosing into the box and set up for use may be lacking in the durability of non-collapsible typewriters and are more likely to become out of order.

This application is a division of my application, Serial No. 726 063, filed July 15, 1924 .(now Patent No. 1,604,801, dated September 18, 1928), which is acontinuation in part of my application, Serial N 0. 589,571, filed September 21. 1922, now Patent No. 1,504,198, dated August 5, was. r

it is an object of my invention to provide a portable typewriter having a standard keyboard of usual dimensions, which typewriter shall be light in weight, non-collapsible and correspondingly durable in construction and of small exterior dimensions, so that it can be enclosed innorn'ial operative condition within a small case.

According to a feature of the invention, the parts of the typewritingmachine are assembled in a particularly compact relation to confine the outside dimensions of the machine'within minimum proportions. In the preferred embodiment, the universal bar is actuated by the type bars and is assembled to the segment plate and has an open structure to afford space for accommodating the escapement pinion back-spacing mechanism and associated devices which areinounted on the movable carriage base plate. The platen is raised in an oblique direction and the case shift and the segment plate are disposed at the same'inclination, thereby limitingthe height of the machine and affording spacebelow the carriage for the ribbon shift mechanism,

3.3 which is preferably mounted on the carriage base plate and is actuated from the rear of the universal bar, theshift mechanism inrluding alinlr extending forward between 1 universal bar and the key levers therebelow.

on Another object is to provide combined the line 7'7 of Figure 8.

filed June 3',

.mentioned compact arrangement upon a common support as to constitute therewith a unit of assembly which may first be completely assembled, and then applied as a unit to the frame of the machine in proper relative position to the other appurtenances thereof.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings in which is shown one of various possible embodii'nents of the several features of this invention,

I igurelv is a side elevation partly broken away of the assembled mechanism. 7 Figure 2 is a detail plan view showing the esc'apement and backspace mechanism and the mounting means therefor.

Figure 8 is a front elevation of the mechanism shown in Figure V Figure 4 is a transverse sectional View of Figure 2. a p

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 3 and shows the back-space n'iechanism in its operated position.

Figure 6 is a' sectional view taken the line (3 -6 of Figure 8.

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken alon along Figure. 8 is a fragmentary sectional View longitudinally through the mechanism, showing the rear structure thereof.

. Referring now to the drawings, the type "riter car 'iage includes the usual base plate '10 having ball bearings 11 on which is mount ed the platen 12. A base frame 13 is provided with a unitary stamped enclosure formed of enclosure side w lls 1st and a top 15, said enclosure being secured to said frame in customary manner as by screws or the like (not shown).

Vithin the base frame are supported the key levers 16, type bars 17, case shift mechanism (not shown) and other elements. The base frame includes integral lateral lugs 19 for supporting thereon a separate or secondary frame structure upon which are carried the ribbon spools 20 and the ribbon reverse mechanism, the latter being omitted for clarity.

As shown in the drawings, the segment plate 21 is disposed in relatively low position, the central or lowest point of the type bar supporting bail 22 thereon being substantially at the level of the upper edges of the bank of key levers 16. The connecting linka go from the key levers to the type bar heels occupies little space otherwise useful, said linkage being disposed largely in the space between the key levers and below the upper edges thereof. The height of the machine is preferably further reduced by inclining the segment plate rearward, in the embodiment shown in the drawings, about 20 degrees, leaving ample space back of the lower or forward part of the segment plate for the escapement, back-space mechanism and other related mechanism, which latter is preferably mounted on the carriage base plate and an tends within the boundaries of the universal bar, and between the segment plate and the rear of the machine.

The universal bar is provided in the form of an arcuate member 23 extending immediately below and is assembled to the inclined segment plate 21, which is mounted at an inclination to the vertical parallel to the case shift rods (not shown). In the present embodiment, as shown in the drawings, the segment plate is curved in the plane thereof and is inclined at an angle of substantially 20 degrees from the vertical. The universal bar I is supported in a special manner to reduce the frictional losses to a minimum and to eliminate inaccuracies resulting from wear. For low friction mount, I provide support brackets 25 upon the frame, preferably secured by means of screws 25 to the segment plate 21 and having a pair of parallel arms :26 and 2? extending rearward and connected by a bar 28. In the preferred embodiment, the suspension includes a rocker formed of a pair of parallel links 29 and 30 depending from bracket arms 26 and 27, respectively, and rigidly connected by a crossbar 31. A pair of separate and distinct links 32 and 33 are pivoted to the rearward or free ends of bracket arms 26 and 27. The universal bar is formed with integral lugs 34. and 35 extending rearward from the arcuate segment 23 thereof, and supported from bracket arms 26 and 21,- respectively, by parallel lmks 29 and 3; and links 30 and 33. The escapement and associated mechanisms mounted on the carriage base plate extend into the free space thus provided back of the segment plate, and between the universal bar supporting links, will be more fully described hereinafter. T he universal bar, as will also be he 'einafter described, has separate elements for initiating a plurality of separate and distinct operations of the machine. It will be seen that in operation of the universal bar, the same in by a parallel link movement, the links advancing and returning by movement paralle to each other. The displacement of the universal bar is by movement strictly parallel. to itself without cngendering appreciable friction or wear.

The pivot pins 36 and 37 for the escapement and back space mechanism are mounted respectively in an angle or support bar 38 secured to the base plate of the carriage, and a backing bar or strip 39 bolted to said angle bar, and affording a working space 4.0 there between for accommodating said escapement and back space mechanism. The fixed and stepping escapement dogs 41 and 42, respectively, also are disposed between angle bar 38 and backing bar or strip 39, while pivots i3 and 4d support the fixed dog ll by ears s5 formed integrally with the bar. The stepping dog 42 is pivoted as indicated at 46, upon the fixed dog 41, and a spring 47 connected to the tail of dog il urges the stepping dog -l-2 into cooperation with the escapement wheel 18 while the fixed dog normally extends in front of the wheel, out of line therewith and out of mesh with the teeth thereof. Spring 49 urges dog 4L2 to an elevated position limited by tongue 50 on fixed dog 41. The carriage motor (not shown) urges the stepping dog 42 downward against the resistance of spring 49, tongue 51 on said dog limiting said movement by its engagement with the edge of fixed dog ll. The angle and backing bar assembly 38 and 39 is located on the carriage base to the rear of the front end of bracket arms 26 and 27 and of universal bar lugs 34 and and projects downward therefrom below the upper end of the universal bar and to the rear of the segment 21 thereof. The escapemeut and back space mechanism together with the actuating dogs 41 and 42 are thus disposed within the space determined by bracket arms 26 and 27 and lugs 34 and 35, as will. appear clearly from Figures 2, 6, and 7 of the drawings. The es-tcapemcnt mechanism includes the usual escapement pinion 52 enmeshed with rack 53 on the carriage. stepping dog 42 is normally in co-action w a tooth of the escapement wheel 48 and the fixed dog a l is to the front thereof and out of mesh therewith. Upon shift of said dogs as a unit about pivot pins l3 and it. as an axis, the stepping dog will be released from engagement with the escapement tooth, and the vances the escapement wheel through a distance of one tooth limited by contact of tongue 51 on the dog 42 with the upper edge of the fixed dog 41.

The escapement or star wheel 48 is freely mounted upon the support shaft 54, but is connected through a spring-held pawl to the ratchet wheel 56, rotatable as a rigid unit with the pinion 52 upon the common axis of said elements. Advance thus takes place by the rotation of pinion 52 through rack 53 and therefore of ratchet wheel 56, the latter effecting rotation of the escapement wheel 48 through the pawl 55, as above described.

For the-back spacing operation, I provide a back space key 57 operating through a bell crank lever 58 and a pitman or link 59 upon a lever 60 which is pivoted to the bar 39 as indicated at 61 adjacent the pinion 52 and having pivoted thereon, as at 62, a double ended escapement pawl 63, having two arms 64 and 65. The spring 66,-which maintains the back space key mechanism in normal position, acts to normally maintain lever 60 against a stop 67. The lever also has a roller 68 at its free end to coact with the notched end 69 of a locking lever 70 pivoted near its center by a screw 71 and having a locking tongue 72 normally displaced from the escapement wheel 48 but arranged to come into coaction therewith, as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 5.

Upon operation of the the bell crank lever 58 is rotated in counterclockwise direction, drawing the pitman 59 in the direction of the arrow, to shift the lever 60 about its pivot 61 and through said lever to shift lever 70 about its pivot 71 and bring its hook 72 into locking co-action with the wheel 48 to preventreverse movement. In this operation, the escapement pawl 63 is brought toward and into mesh with the pinion 52 and rot-ates the latter in clockwise direction to back space the carriage, the arm (35 preventing overthrow of the pinion. The ratchet wheel 56 rotates as a unit with pin ion 52 to which it is rigidly connected and, accordingly, readily ratchets over pawl 55. The locking lever restra-ins the wheel 48 throughout this operation against clockwise rotation with the ratchet wheel, so that the dogs 41 and 42 and the universal bar are not affected by the back spacing operation.

In assembling the machine, the ribbon vibrating mechanism is first positioned in apback space key 57,-

proximately correct position on the previously assembled base structure. The carriage base frame with the combined escapement and back-space mechanism previously assembled thereon is now applied to the base frame of the machine by first loosening the bracket screws and passing the shift rods on the car riage downward, along their roller bearing guides. The escapement and back space mechanism is thus disposed in the space afforded between the universal bar supporting rocker and the rear support links 32 and 33,

and plate 73 on the ribbon shift mechanism extends between the sides of yoke bracket 74. Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention, and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a portable typewriting machine having a frame provided with a carriage, a keyoperated universal bar, and a back-space-key, the combination with a rack on said carriage, of a control mechanism in the form of an assembly unit for controlling the carriage in letter-space and back-space direction including a rotatable pinion in mesh with the rack,

a ratchet rotatable therewith, a star-wheel coaxial with the same, a pawl connecting the ratchet with the star-wheel, a pair of operating pawls co-acting with the star-wheel and actuated by the universal bar to effect letterspace feeding of the carriage, and auxiliary carriage-control mechanism forming part of said assembly unit, including a pivoted lever provided with a rockable pawl having a pair of spaced opposite teeth and arranged to initially engage one of the teeth with said pinion during advancing operative movement of said lever, in order to reversely rotate said pinion and effect back-spacing of said carriage, and in more advanced posit-ion of said lever to directly engage both pawl-teeth with said pinion in such manner as toenvelop a group of teeth thereon, whereby to rigidly its control. the pinion against overthrow, there in letter-space and back-space direction in cluding, primarily, a support-member mounted on the frame, a pinion rotatably mounted on the support-member in mesh with the carriage-rack, a ratchet on the support-member rotatable with the pinion, an independentlyrotatable star-Wheel mounted on said support-member, a pawl connecting the ratchet and the star-wheel, a pair of associatedoperating pawls also arranged on the support member to coact with said star-wheel, there being means operable from the universal bar to actuate the operating pawls whereby to letter-space said carriage, and a back-spacing mechanism including a lever pivotally mounted on the SHpPOlt-HlCIHlJGl and having a projection thereon, a pawl mounted on the lever, provided with a pair of spaced teeth and arranged to engage one of the teeth with said ing also means operatively connecting the back-space key with the first lever to actuate the same.

3. In a portable typewriting machine having a frame and a carriage thereon, the combination with a rack on the carriage, of a mechanism in the form of a unit of assembly for back-spacing the carriage at will, including an assembly support-member mounted on the frame, a rotatable pinion supported 36 thereon in mesh with the carriage-rack, and a self-adjusting rockable pawl supported on the assembly support-member, provided with a pair of spaced opposite teeth and arranged to initially engage one of the teeth with said pinion during advancement of said pawl in operation, whereby to reversely rotate the latter and effect hack-spacing of the carriage, and in more advanced position of said pawl to engage both teeth with two distinct and spaced teeth on said pinion in order to rigidly control the latter against overthrow, there being a back-space key operatively connected to the pawl and also means to normally letter-space feed said carriage through the same pinion.

.4. In aportable typewriting machine having a frame provided with a carriage thereon and a key-operated universal bar, the combination with a rack on the carriage, of a mechanism in the form of a unit of assembly for controlling the carriage in letter-space and back-space direction, including primarily an assembly bar supported on the frame, a pinion rotatably mounted thereon in mesh with the rack, a ratchet rigid with the pinion, a star-wheel coaxial with the same, a pawl connecting the star-wheel and the ratchet, a pair of co-operative pawls arranged on the assembly bar for engaging the star-wheel, and operable by the universal bar in order to eifect letter-space feeding of said carriage, and an auxiliary carriage-control mechanism forming part of said unit, including a lever pivoted upon said assembly bar, provided with a self-adjusting pawl having a pair of spaced opposite teeth and arranged to first engage one pawl-tooth with said pinion during advancing operative movement of said lever, whereby to reversely rotate the pinion in order to effect back-spacing of said carriage, and in more advanced position of said lever to engage distinct spaced teeth of said pinion in order to rigidly control the latter against overthrow, there being a back-space key operatively connected to the lever and pawl and also means forlocking the star-wheel preparatory to and during the back-spacing operation.

5. In a typewriting machine having a frame provided with a carriage, the combina tion with a-rack on the carriage, of a mechanism in the form of a unit of assembly for back-spacing the carriage, including an assembly bar on the frame, a pinion rotatably mounted on the assembly bar in mesh with the rack, a ratchet rigidly rotatable with the pinion, a star-wheel coaxial therewith, a pawl connecting the star-wheel and the ratchet, a lever pivoted on said assembly bar and having a projection thereon, a pawl rockably mounted 011 the lever, provided with a pair of spaced opposite teeth and arranged to engage one of its teeth with said pinion in advancing operative movement of said lever, whereby to reversely rotate the pinion in order to effect back-spacing of said carriage, and arranged in more advanced position of said lever to engage both pawl-teeth with a pair of distinct and spaced teeth on said pinion so as to envelope a group of teeth thereon, there being a back-space key operatively connected to the lever, and a locking lever also mounted on the assembly bar in such relation to the first lever that upon initial operation of said first lever the projection thereon will engage and swing the locking lever into locking position with respect to the teeth of the star-wheel, whereby to initially lock the same prior to and retain the same locked during the back-spacing operation, there being also means for normally letter-space-feeding the carriage through the same star-wheel, ratchet and pinion.

6. In a typewriting machine having a frame provided with a carriage thereon, a key-operated universal bar, and a back-space key, the combination with a rack on the carriage, of a mechanism in the form of a unit of assembly for controlling the carriage in letter-space and back-space direction, including an assembly bar mounted on the frame, a rotatable pinion mounted on the assembly bar and meshing with the carriage-rack, a backing bar supported in association with said assembly bar in such manner as to provide a space therebetween, a shaft supported in the space between both said associated bars for supporting said pinion, a ratchet on the shaft rota-table with the pinion, a star-wheel J independently rotatable on the same shaft,

a pawl connecting the ratchet with the starwheel, a pair of co-operating pawls arranged on one of said associated bars to coact with, the star-Wheel, there being means for normally letter-space-feeding the carriage through the co-operating pawls and the mentioned pinion, ratchet and starewheel between said bars, a lever pivoted on one of the same bars, having a pawl for engaging and rotating said pinion, there being also means for operatively connecting the lever with the back-space key, whereby to reversely rotate the pinion and effect back-spacing of said carriage, and automatically operated means disposed on one of said bars to lock the star-wheel preparatory to and during the back-spacing operatio 7. In a typewriting machine having a frame provided with a carriage having a platen, key-levers disposed in relatively horizontal arrangement, and type-bars operable thereby to print upon the platen in a tangent plane coincident with the hypothenuse of a right-angle triangle having the general position of the key-levers as the base thereof and the rear of the frame disposed at the perpendicular side thereof, said carriage being case-shiftable in a plane parallel to said printing plane, the combination with a uni- "ersal bar operable by said key-levers and a back-spacing key, of a mechanism in the form of a unit of assembly for controlling the carriage in letter-space and back-space direction, including a common support-member mounted on said frame, a shaft disposed thereon transversely to said tangent printing plane, a pinion circumferentially parallel with said plane and mounted on said shaft, a

ratchet also mounted parallel with said plane on said shaft so as to be rotatable with the pinion, a star-wheel rotatable on the same shaft and similarly parallel with the same tangent plane, a pawl connecting said starwheel and said ratchet, a pair of co-operating pawls mounted on said support-member to coact with the star-wheel and tobe actuated from said universal bar in order to effect let-terspace feeding of said carriage, and a lever pivoted on said support-member in such manner as to be swingable in a plane relatively parallel with said printing plane and having a pawl for engaging said pinion whereby to back-space said carriage, there being means for connecting said lever with said back-space key, and means to lock said starwheel during the back-spacing operation.

8. In a typewritlng machine having a frame provided with a carriage thereon and a back-space key, the combination with a rack on said carriage, of an assembly unit in the form of a back-space mechanism, including an. assembly support-bar mounted on sa1d frame, a pinion rotatably supported thereon in mesh with said carriage-racl and an intermediately pivoted rockable pawl supported on said support-bar, having a pair of spaced opposite teeth and arranged to first engage one tooth with said pinion during operative advancement of the pawl, and in more advanced position arranged to equally engage the teeth of the pinion at two distinct spaced points in such manner as to envelope a group of said pinion-teeth, whereby to first reversely rotate said pinion and effect back-spacing of the carriage, and thereafter rigidly control the same pinion against overthrow, there be ing means operatively connecting said backsaace key with said pawl and means on said support-bar to feed the carriage 111 normal letter-space direction, there being also resil ient means associated with said pawl for w thdrawing the same into idle posit-ion.

9. In a typewritmg machine having a frame provided with a carriage, the combination with a rack on the carriage, of a letterfeed and back-space mechanism for the carriage, including a rotatable pinion supported on said frame in mesh with the rack, a ratchet rigidly rotatable with the pinion, a starwheel, a pawl connecting said ratchet with said star-wheel, a leverpivotally supported on said frame and having a projection thereon, a rockable pawl mounted on the lever, provided with a pair of spaced opposite teeth and arranged to initially engage one of the,;00

teeth with said pinion in advancing operative movement of said lever, whereby to reversely rotate the pinion and effect back-spacing of saidcarriage, and arranged in more advanced position of said lever to engage both pawlteeth with a pair of distinct spaced teeth on said pinion so as to envelope a group of teeth thereon and rigldly prevent overthrow there of, there being a back-space key operatively connected to said lever, and a locking lever,

also pivotally supported on said frame in such relation to said first lever that upon initial operation thereof the projection thereon will engage and swing the locking lever into locking position with respect to the teeth of said star-wheel, whereby to lock the same prior to the initial engagement of said first combination with a rack on the carriage, of 1 a unit of assembly in the form of a mechanism for controlling the carriage in letterfeed direction, including an assembly support-member secured to the frame, a pinion rotatably mounted on the support-member,

in mesh with the rack, a ratchet rigidly rotatable with the pinion, a star-Wheel coaxial therewith, a pawl connecting said star-Wheel and said ratchet, a pair of related operating pawls pivotally mounted on said supportmember and associated with said star-wheel for operating the same, there being a keyoperated universal bar on said machine for actuating said operating pawls whereby to 10 letter-feed said carriage, and auxiliary carriage-control means for back-spacing said carriage, supported on said support-member and forming part of said assembly unit, there being a back-space key for actuating the same, and a piVotally-mounted locking lever also supported on said support-member in such manner as to be actuated by the back-space mechanism upon initial operation thereof, before the latter becomes effective, in order to first lock said star-Wheel, and also hold the same locked during the luck-spacing operation.

LOUIS A. NEMCOVSKY. 

